IPL 2021 | Very excited about the IPL as I have never played in UAE before, feels Tabraiz Shamsi
Shamsi in the series against Ireland
|South Africa's Tabraiz Shamsi, who was roped in by Rajasthan Royals for the UAE leg of IPL 2021, stated that he's very excited about the second leg of the IPL as he has never played in the UAE before. He also added that playing the stint would be immensely helpful ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Tabraiz Shamsi, the No.1 bowler ICC's T20I rankings was recently signed up by the Rajasthan Royals for the second leg of IPL 2021, to be held in the UAE from September 19. Shamsi had last appeared in the league in 2016 when he represented the Virat Kohli-led RCB in four games. However, he had to wait for another five years for his next gig.
The 31-year-old spinner stated that he's excited to play in the IPL and is keenly looking forward to getting more consistent game time, something he missed when he last participated in the league. He also feels that playing in the UAE ahead of this year's T20 World Cup will help him get accustomed to the conditions.
"I'm not going to sit here and pretend that I'm not excited about (the IPL). I am very excited. Especially because I've never played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi," Shamsi said.
"The IPL is a different thing. I have played in the past but I was a lot younger and I didn't get a lot of game time regularly. When you get regular game time, you can showcase what you can do. You can improve. And from a Proteas' perspective, I'm really happy I got picked up in the IPL because I've never been there and played there. It will be nice if I can play on those pitches and get some inside information and gain some experience; just to be able to pick up some knowledge and information that might help us in the World Cup."
It took a lot of grind for the Proteas spinner to cement his place in the national side with Imran Tahir leading the way in limited-overs cricket. Shamsi talked about the importance of making an opportunity count, whenever it presents itself.
"From my own experience, you just have to wait for your opportunity, but while you're waiting you have to keep on working. You can't be sulking and down on yourself, and then your opportunity comes and you don't grab it," he said. "Some people get 20 opportunities, others might only get one or two. You have to make sure you're preparing and working hard, so that when your opportunity does come you grab it with both hands and live your dream."
Shamsi, who was recently part of The Hundred and talking about the innovative tournament, said that it's a much quicker format than T20 cricket, and that he relished the experience.
"It's like a much faster version of T20. I picked up a few things, like how you can save a lot more time in the field by rushing through and showing some urgency," he said. "It was nice because I'm someone who enjoys bowling and who doesn't enjoy long breaks between spells."
